Born: November 27th, 1951 in San Carlos, California
An American filmmaker best known as a director of intense action/thrillers, who has recently been thrust into the limelight following her Best Director Oscar win for The Hurt Locker. The Hurt Locker also won Best Picture over likely favorite Avatar, which was directed by her ex-husband James Cameron, who was also nominated in the director category.
Often accused of favoring style over substance, she truly embodies the spirit of pure cinema in that the style often IS the substance. Throwing caution and logic to the side, the action scenes of "camp" classic Point Break are exhilarating and guaranteed to leave you breathless. Though the story feels false, the presentation makes it seem completely true; a celebration of movement and action. Likewise, in the critically acclaimed The Hurt Locker, she manages to maintain an almost constant, nearly unbearable, level of tension throughout, giving modern horror films like Paranormal Activity a run for their money.
Originally intending to be a painter, she ended up bringing a strong visual sense to her films; take a freeze-frame from any of her movies, and you could most likely hang it on a wall. Even with the handheld work in The Hurt Locker, the editing and framing ends up giving it a sense of controlled chaos, particularly compared to similar work by Paul Greengrass in Green Zone.
Respected in genre circles for years due to her contributions to horror, sci-fi and action, she now is given the clout to play in the sandbox of her choosing. Here's hoping that she doubles her output, while keeping the same level of quality she's brought to the game so far.
Essential Works: The Hurt Locker, Near Dark, Point Break
You can skip: K-19: The Widowmaker
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